Rideau Lakes Township’s committee of the whole voted at its January 26th meeting to recommend that two ballot questions move forward to the October municipal election, one related to the Chantry municipal office project and the other to battery energy storage systems.
Councillor Deborah Hutchings said asking these questions to voters takes away the politics.
Mayor Arie Hoogenboom found himself on the outside looking in once again as he expressed his concerns.
Several councillors disagreed with the mayor, saying the Chantry project has remained unresolved for years and that residents should be given a direct say. Council debated multiple wording options before voting to recommend a draft question asking whether the township should proceed with a new 21-office complex and refurbishment of Chantry using the current design.
Staff cautioned that a binding ballot question tied too closely to tendering could obligate a future council to proceed even if construction costs came back higher than anticipated. Councillors supporting the final wording said that concern was a key reason for choosing a broader question focused on whether to proceed with the redevelopment, rather than committing council to a specific procurement step.
The committee also recommended advancing a second ballot question asking: “Do you as a taxpayer want battery farms to be built in the Township of Rideau Lakes?”
Councillors in favour said the question would give residents an opportunity to express their views on battery energy storage projects, while others noted that approval authority ultimately rests with the province and that municipal planning policies may be a more effective way to manage such developments.
